The Bulldog and The Hummingbird written by Jessica Wilson, illustrated by Tinuke Fagborun
“We dance because our first names are at war with our last; because we feel like flecks of dust caught in a light stream between two closed windows.”
The Bulldog and The Hummingbird grapples with diaspora identity, belonging and love. Blending prose-poetry, fragments and micro-poems, the writer’s debut collection paints a dreamscape where motifs and characters form and disperse like waves.
Moving from London to Jamaica, personal experience collides with collective memory as the pieces trace colonial history, the resilient Windrush generation and complexities of contemporary Caribbean life.
Shortlisted for Penguin Random House and BBC’s WriteNowLive, the work features Aesthetica Award nominated poem, ‘How Newness Enters the World’. Jessica Wilson is the winner of the Royal Society of Authors’ Arthur Welton Award for poetry.
Rasta Granny’s Rainbow written by Jessica Wilson, illustrated by Rochelle Falconer
A gorgeous celebration of cooking Jamaican food with Granny.
Dylan is feeling low, and Granny knows just how to lift his spirits...she'll show him how to make a rainbow! From red ackee to orange plantain, and a rainbow of colourful fruit, this beautiful, uplifting story shows the richness and deliciousness of Jamaican foods. Young children will love guessing the next colour on this magical journey of food and family love.
Rasta Granny's Rainbow features simple, lyrical recipes for such classic dishes as fried plantain, fruit cake and duckanoo.
From award-winning poet Jessica Wilson, with talented illustrator Rochelle Falconer.
Sofia the Dreamer and Her Magical Afro written by Jessica Wilson, illustrated by Tom Rawles
Many untold stories are held in the kinks of afro hair.
Winner of a Go Fund Me award, this fantasy-poem unravels the history of natural hairstyles and encourages children to love all of who they are.
Every Sunday afternoon, Sofia’s mum washes and combs her hair. Whenever her hair is touched, Sofia becomes very sleepy. Sofia travels in her dreams visiting a Jamaican Rastafarian, African ancestor and Black Panther whose stories help to unpick the history, heroes and joys entangled in afro hair.
How the Rivermaid Grew Her Tail and other West African and Caribbean Myths written by Jessica Wilson, illustrated by Sophie Bass
Discover a world of myths and magic in How the Rivermaid Grew Her Tail, a stunning anthology that celebrates the storytelling traditions of West Africa and the Caribbean.
Jessica Wilson gathers lyrical, interwoven folktales that have travelled across oceans and through time. From Nigeria and Ghana to Jamaica and the USA, these stories have gathered new colour and meaning along their journey.
Each story is introduced with the country, people and traditions where the tale originates, making the collection both immersive and accessible for young readers, families and classrooms. Paired with Sophie Bass’s vibrant, symbolic illustrations, this anthology immerses readers in the colours, foods, landscapes and characters of West Africa and the Caribbean.